Educents

Friday, October 28, 2016

Awww an adventure at the Pumpkin Patch… Fall is my favorite season of
the year and I think my kids like it too!

What a better way to start our weekend than
visiting our favorite farm, Holiday Farms in Ridgeland, South Carolina and just like they claim, "Just not a Holiday... an experience!"

Our family has visited this farm for a couple of years
now and there are a few things I truly love about this farm, for example, they are
family owned and operated, they transform the farm on each holiday and you are welcome to bring your own food and drinks. We all now how expensive purchasing food and drink can be when visiting the local fair. They also have a covered picnic area for all the visitors to enjoy.

Holiday Farms offer many activities and my kids take advantage
of every single one.Well, let me take
that back, they can no longer do the speedway since that activity is only for
toddlers…

As soon as we arrived we were able to see the welcome signs, the "fall" decorations and hay rolls sprayed painted with funny images of animals.

My favorite decoration was this perfectly shaped pumpkin painted in red... it looked so shiny!

Not far from the entrance we were able to find a large group of colorful "mums". Last year my best friend gifted me with some of her "orange" mums. I know, they don't last very long but they just look so festive!

And who can say no to their new Jumppad! and guess what? Adults are also allowed to jump on it too!!! Not that I got on it or anything...

Our kids spent a good amount of time jumping and chasing each other on this pad. Energy zapper at work!

Then we enjoyed some time playing with the cornhole boards! This is when I realized my daughter has an amazing arm and aim. Yes, they had 4 different sets of boards and they had to play on each one. So we played this game for a w-h-i-l-e!

After playing with the conrnhole game, they moved towards the next game, "ring toss".

When they realized the wagon was coming, they
forgot about the ring toss game and ran towards the "Barnyard Zoo" in order to board the
wagon!

See, they ran.. we didn't.. because we knew that once they got closer to the barn, they were going to pet every animal before they actually got on the wagon. And petted, they did! HAHA!

Their new covered wagon actually takes you around the farm to the back field which is where all the pumpkins are. Another great thing about this adventure, everyone got to pick a pumpkin from the patch which was included in their $10.00 admission fee.

Pumpkins everywhere... big pumpkins, medium size pumpkins, tiny baby pumpkins, and it was so much fun trying to find that perfect pumpkin to bring home.

Our only rule for the day was, if you can't carry it (pumpkin) then you can't
take it. After all parking was at a good distance away from the grounds, so it made sense to put that rule in place, especially if you have to carry a pumpkin of your own. But when you have daddy wrap around your little finger, who cares what mommy says!

And we couldn't just leave without seeing a "pig race", that would have been an incomplete experience for them!

It was fun to see all those little piglets
running!

These are the faces of some tired and hungry kids! Unfortunately, our kids waited too long to decide it was time for them eat.

If you know me, then you already know that when I take the kids to places like this, I only go for one thing and one thing only, FOOD! So, as soon as I got there I went straight to the extremely long line that promised to provide me with some good old fashion Funnel Cake, ribs and perhaps some good BBQ chicken. Our children had other plans, they insisted that they were not hungry and there was no need for me to stand in line, so we decided to forgo the food and go straight for the activities.

Let me say this, what a GIGANTIC MISTAKE that was! Since they waited until the last minute, all the greasy and delicious food was GONE and they had no other choice but to settle for snow cones and a small basket of french fries!

But they had so much fun that not been able to get a funnel cake was totally okay with them.

We highly suggest you make plans to visit Holiday Farms. Your little ones will enjoy participating in the many activities like barrel racing, duck racing, corn grinding, steer roping, cow milking and getting to know the animals at the Barnyard Zoo.

Every Saturday you will be able to enjoy the food from their concession stands as well as live entertainment!

Don't forget to stop by their General Store while you are there and check out all of their items like their local honey, jellies, jams as well as soaps, candy and toys!

But our adventures are not stopping there... today we will be putting our costumes on and having some fun with the officers at SCMPD Precinct 5!

I deeply believe reading gives you access to an experience that is
deeply personal yet shared with the writer and world they lived in. Self-help books are very personal, especially when the writer has had personal experience with the topic.

Reasons to Stay Aliveis about making the most of your time on earth. In the
western world the suicide rate is highest amongst men under the age of 35. Matt
Haig could have added to that statistic when, aged 24, he found himself staring
at a cliff-edge about to jump off. This is the story of why he didn't; how he
recovered and learned to live with anxiety and depression. It's also an upbeat,
joyous and very funny exploration of how live better, love better, read better
and feel more.

Humans:
An A to Z by Matt Haig;

DO YOU:
A) Know a human?
B) Love a human?
C) Have trouble dealing with humans?

IF YOU'VE ANSWERED YES TO ANY OF THE ABOVE, THIS BOOK IS FOR YOU
Whether you are planning a high level of human interaction or just a casual
visit to the planet, this user-guide to the human race will help you translate
their sayings, understand exotic concepts such as 'democracy' and 'sofas', and
make sense of their habits and bizarre customs.
A phrase book, a dictionary and a survival guide, this book unravels all the
oddness, idiosyncrasies and wonder of the species, allowing everyone to make
the most of their time on Earth.

The Man
Who Couldn't Stop by David Adam:

Have you ever had a strange
urge to jump from a tall building, or steer your car into oncoming traffic? You
are not alone. In this captivating fusion of science, history and personal
memoir, writer David Adam explores the weird thoughts that exist within every
mind, and how they drive millions of us towards obsessions and compulsions. David has suffered from OCD for twenty years, and
The Man Who Couldn’t Stop is his unflinchingly honest attempt to understand the
condition and his experiences. What might lead an Ethiopian schoolgirl to eat a
wall of her house, piece by piece; or a pair of brothers to die beneath an
avalanche of household junk that they had compulsively hoarded? At what point does
a harmless idea, a snowflake in a clear summer sky, become a blinding blizzard
of unwanted thoughts? Drawing on the latest research on the brain, as well as
historical accounts of patients and their treatments, this is a book that will
challenge the way you think about what is normal, and what is mental illness. Told with fierce clarity, humour and urgent
lyricism, this extraordinary book is both the haunting story of a personal
nightmare, and a fascinating doorway into the darkest corners of our minds.

Apply two to three coats of SinfulColor
Professionals #30 Courtney Orange. Please allow a few minutes to pass in between
coats.

On my first DIY: Easy Halloween Nail Design, I really wanted to use the Courtney Orange rather the Cloud 9. As you can see the orange is much deeper and it would have looked great, but I think the results of using Cloud 9 was just as gorgeous.

Now, I applied approximately three coats in order to get that "deep orange" color I was looking for. This is what my nails looked after applying two coats.

Allow a few minutes in between applications, it's important to remember that when we apply the polish in very thick layers, the polish takes a lot longer to dry which will only lead to smudges.

The next step comes once your first color is completely dry. This is also the very tricky
part but don't worry, you've got this!

Using the Multi Art
Brush carefully paint the letters B O O on the desired nails.You can go over the black line twice if you need to. Allow the polish to
dry.Now, my intention was to use these Nail Dress by Kiss on my thumb and my tiny little pinky. Unfortunately, none of them covered the nail as supposed to. Yeah, I was sad about that too!

Therefore, I used a tiny little black cat on my pinky and I cut around the design for my chunky thumb.

Last but not least, after your nail stickers and polish are completely dry, apply your final Top Shiny Coat and DONE!!

After your base coat is completely dry, place the design guide (of you can do it free hand if you have steady hands) close to the tip of your nail;

Apply two coats of the SinfulColors Professionals Copper Pot; (allow a few minutes in between coats for the polish to dry- NOTE: a thick coat polish takes twice as long to dry) Once the polish is dry, carefully remove the nail design strip.

For the next step, you will need the "Multi Art Brush".

Using the Multi Art
Brush carefully paint a think black line.
You can go over the black line twice if you need to.

Allow the black polish to dry completely.

Using the same brush,
now draw very thin vertical lines. You
can do them as short or long as you want the lines to be.

Make sure you allow the black polish to dry completely before applying the shiny clear top. If the polish is not completely dry, you will end with smudge lines.

Apply two coats of SinfulColor
Professionals #2122 Nice Guise to all the nails for the exception of ring
finger. This Nice Guise polish is a
shimmering green with a gold iridescent hint to it. Please allow a few minutes to pass in between
coats.

The Top coats on the above photo are part of the Glow In The Dark collection.

This is the tricky
part. As you can see, #2124 Got a Bat
Attitude polish has small "bat figures mixed within the polish. It IS a bit difficult to grab the figures
with the brush and place them on the nail.
By the time I was able to strategically apply the figures, I had a very
thick coat on my nail.

However, IT DOES GLOW!! So their claim it's true!!

Apply your favorite
Top Coat to seal the design, let it dry and YOU ARE NOW DONE!! Note: I used the regular #1353 Glow in The Dark (without any figures in it) and applied it on top of the Nice Guise so that it would glow as well. Although I regret my choice of applying it, the effect was still mesmerizing.

Only a few days left before
Halloween and we are having a lot of fun with all the spooky colors available
through Guise & Ghouls Glowing Masquerade by SinfulColor Professionals.

These polishes are still on sale at my local Walgreens, so make sure
your visit your local store in order to take advantage of this great sale!

For this Halloween, I
decided to show my love for this day by creating a few "spooky" nail
designs that you can easily create by using very simple tools like nail guides,
stickers and "glow in the dark" top coats.

NOTE: As a general rule, I always use (and recommend) a good base coat in order to protect my nails, specially when using very dark colors. Lately I've been using SC Nail Hardener and has helped keep my nails long and strong.

Apply two coats of SinfulColor
Professionals #853 Cloud 9.

NOTE: Don't worry
so much about the tip since you will be covering it with your second polish.

Allow the first color to dry completely before you apply the Design Guides around the tip of your nail.

Thursday, October 20, 2016

I've finally found the time to visit my local Walgreens and the timing was perfect!

I found that all the SinfulColor Guise
& Ghouls Glowing Masquerade are finally on SALE for $1.99 each!!!

In
this collection you will find:

*
Cloak & Swagger

*
Play Dead

*Nice
Guise

*Deja
Boo

*Hazel
Moon

*Got
a Bat Attitude

*Dead
On

*Glow
In The Dark Top Coat

*Let's
Talk

*Courtney
Orage

*Black
on Black

Walgreen
Exclusive:

*Where
Oh Werewolf

I picked the Glow in the Dark for Ms. Bree and she
is going to love it!! Yes, my daughter
loves nail polishes as much as I do.
(maybe more than me)

The Glow In The Dark polish is a top coat and it
promises to really get things "glowing".

I
picked the above colors for me.
Unfortunately, Courtney Orange was not available but I was able to grab
Cloud 9 at the same price. Cloud 9 seems
to be a bit lighter and brighter than Courtney Orange.

If you have a Walgreens Rewards Card then don't forget to use it, instead of paying $1.99, you will only pay $1.50!!

Stay
tuned because I will be doing my own manicure and I will be using Cloud 9
together with Black on Black topped with a few accent stickers!

Are
you planning to join the festivities by dressing up or maybe by getting a
"wicked" manicure for the week?? If you decide to take advantage of this great sale, make sure you tell us which colors you picked!!

Friday, October 14, 2016

Hey everyone, It's Friday and after a rough week I am glad that the weekend is here. Remember, "We are in charge of how we feel today, therefore, let's choose happiness".. I'm writing today to tell you about this AMAZING , HANDS-ON, YEAR-LONG SCIENCE JOURNEY!

For All the Kids Who Love to Ask “Why?"

The Magic School Bus Science Club is a 12- month science kit subscription based on the award-winning series, The Magic School Bus. If you haven't heard about the series before, each of the stories center on the antics of a frizzy-red haired fictional elementary school teacher, Ms. Frizzle, and her class, who board a “magic school bus” to take them on field trips to impossible locations, like the solar system, clouds, the past, and inside the human body. This story-based learning took the science scene by storm in the 90's.

But it's the 2000s!!

The kit subscription takes it to the next level with HANDS ON learning that all ties into the stories! It's also HALF OFF FOR 10 MORE DAYS! This is a great choice for families with multiple children, kinesthetic, and visual learners - and just a fun, educational activity for a rainy day! The kits include experiments related to Volcanoes, Weather, Water, Fossils, Bacteria and Fungi, Star and Planets, and the weather, which, given recent events I want to brush up on, too. Ms. Bree is currently learning about the Solar System, the weather and phases of the moon.

One experiment I've been really excited to try is the Volcano Kit! The kit comes with a small volcanic rock, a pumice stone, sheets of paper, black paint, paint brush, a magnifying glass all to build a volcano. Check out the video below to see the fun experiment and explosive result (this one is from Educents so you don't have to see my kitchen..)

And there are so many more experiments! Think of a sibling science club coming to life in your home - or friends bonding over making volcanoes explode, and learning all about how the human body works!

Detailed, extensive 12-page colorful manual that is full of experiments and topic information

Each manual was based on the award winning Magic School Bus Book (and TV) series

A handy dandy cheat sheet for adults, so you can lead the way with no background in science (shhh.. I always preferred reading...)

Tools and instructions for a at least 7 interactive experiments per month

Online Clubhouse for further exploration on each package topic (take advantage of this!!)

Certificate of Completion - a great way to reinforce learning and accomplishments

The Price: Package is for $119.00 currently (50% off deal for only ten days). You do have to pay it at once, but it comes out to $10/month over the course of the year. For me, that's a solid investment!